Parents of mother who killed baby criticize pastor's influence

[bmbmd]

http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/120504/reg_120504102.shtml

PLANO (AP) — Long before Dena Schlosser took a blade to her baby's arms and years before she ever showed signs of mental illness, her parents had begun to worry.

They never suspected violence, but in the years after she moved to Texas with her husband and children, their daughter had become increasingly isolated from them. And, according to her stepfather, she was dangerously consumed by a self-described prophet and his suburban Dallas church.

Dena's stepfather, Mick Macaulay, told The Associated Press that although he blames mental illness for Schlosser's actions, he and his wife believe the teachings of Doyle Davidson were part of a confluence of factors that drove their daughter to kill.

[livinginphotographs]

1. Great.

One more great thing that religion has done for this world.

[polmaven]

4. Oh, please!

This has nothing to do with religion. This is all about power, nothing else. To condemn "religion" as a whole for people like this is insulting to many of us who are relgious and take it seriously.

[PsychoDad]

5. Agreed.

nt

[livinginphotographs]

7. Religion is all about power.

I'm sorry, but I see very little difference between "cults" and "mainstream" religion. The only difference is that the mainstream ones get to define what a cult is.

And as far as power, religion (IMHO) was created to subdue people. Religion has EVERYTHING to do with power.

[polmaven]

8. No, there is a great deal of difference.

Real religion is NOT power. It is love. Real religion disdains the kind of power taken by the so called "leaders" of cults like this.

There are, of course, guidelines, but most religious people have the "power" within themselves to believe or not believe. The people have the "power" within themselves to embrace all or part of the doctrines.

That is why there are so many different denominations of religion.

I am liberal Christian. I believe Jesus rejected the "power" of the "powerful". I believe he was about putting the "power" back into the hands of the people to decide for themselves who would be their leaders...who would govern in their names.

No, true religion is not about power.

[livinginphotographs]

9. I agree completely.

And this is where I have to point out the difference between belief in a higher power, which I have no problem with, and organized religion, which I have a HUGE problem with.

Even as an agnostic, I admire Jesus Christ (or at least the myth of him) greatly. I think that when churches were formed, though, it all went downhill. Dogma in any form is dangerous, and dogma is generally about maintaining the power of the people who enforce the dogma.

[acmavm]

2. It's not the fact that you believe that is the problem. The problem is the

hucksters, nutcases, and two-legged freakshows who've highjacked religion who are the problem.

<snip>
He refers to Methodist, Catholic and Baptist denominations as cults and believes the Ten Commandments only apply to the disobedient, not the righteous.

In September, Davidson was arrested for public intoxication after a couple, longtime members of his church, called 911, alleging the minister attacked them at their home. Davidson said he was only trying to cast the devil out of the wife, who had become rebellious and rejected his teachings. He said he entered the home with the permission of her husband.

The couple told police Davidson smothered and choked her until she couldn't breathe. They later declined to press assault charges and several calls by the AP to their home went unanswered.

Davidson said he believes the incident was a "setup of Satan himself to try and destroy my ministry."

<snip>

[janx]

3. What is it with these cults down in Texas?

This is the fourth time in about three years that a woman who has been involved with a cult has killed or attempted to kill her kids!

[barb162]

6. I could barely read this article. (painful)

This woman was fragile mentally for a long time it seems, then she meets up with this minister, her family is having financial problems, she has three kids she probably never should have had, her mother is sick, etc. Disaster waiting to happen. And there are probably several other things we don't even know.